Contraceptive Use Among HIV-Infected Women Attending Treatment and Care at Yirgalem Hospital, Southern Ethiopia

Despite political endorsement for integration of family planning and HIV-AIDS prevention and control services in Ethiopia, little is known about family planning use; patterns of methods used and associated factors among women with HIV infection. A facility-based cross-sectional study was undertaken among 380 women with HIV infection and receiving follow-up care at Yirgalem Hospital ART Centre in Southern Ethiopia in 2011. The prevalence of contraceptive use was 62.1 per cent, and male condom (90.7 per cent) was the most commonly used method of contraception followed by injectables (26.3 per cent). Among the respondent women (26.7 per cent), dual method use was identified and injectables were the most commonly used contraceptive method combined with male condom. Having regular sexual partner and age of the last child showed significant association with contraceptive use. The family planning use and method preference of these ART clients have implications for preventing vertical and heterosexual transmission of HIV, indicating the need to strengthen integration of reproductive health and HIV services for appropriate counselling and delivery of services.